Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- ca. 1960-2022 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2.2 m of textual records and graphic material
920 photographs (756 prints and 164 slides)
2 contact sheets
3 film strips
1 digital catalogue : optical disc
4 video recordings : 2 VHS tapes, 2 optical discs
2 scrapbooks
1 binder : mixed material
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Winsom (1946 - ) is a prominent Jamaican-born Canadian multi-media artist, activist, and arts educator. She studied at the Jamaica School of Art (1965-1968) in Kingston (now the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts), where she majored in mural painting, before moving to Canada in 1969. From 2004 to 2022 Winsom split her time between Canada and Belize, where she established the Winsom Foundation. Since 2022 she has been based in the Toronto area.
Winsom’s work is known for spiritual symbolism, particularly reflecting Yoruba and Arawak traditions, and for the use of multiple media including painting, textiles, sculpture and video. Her practice, especially her work with textiles, is influenced by her travels across Ghana and West Africa, where she worked with master dyers and Adrinka printers. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and internationally, including the United States and the Caribbean. Some of her solo exhibitions include Jumping the Big Boa at the Image Factory Gallery in Belize, The Masks We Wear at the Agnes Etherington Art Gallery at Queen’s University in Kingston, and Winsom: I Rise at the AGO. She has also been involved with several theatre and dance productions as a designer and artist, predominantly with the Nightwood Theatre in Toronto.
In addition to her work as an artist, Winsom has made significant contributions to the arts community as a longtime teacher, mentor, and activist. She has taught in schools, workshops, festivals, and other programs to students of all ages. In 1992, Winsom was an instructor and founding member of the Fresh Arts collective, which established programs for Black youth in Toronto to receive mentorship in the arts. She was also a founding member of the Draw It Black Artist’s Collective (DIBAC), a not-for-profit group launched in 2000 that was dedicated to promoting the work of African Canadian artists. Winsom is the Founder and Director of the Winsom Foundation, a Belize-based non-profit organization established in 2007. Through this foundation she supports arts education for young people in the Cristo Rey Village area. Winsom has worked with many education and community-oriented organizations as an educator and artist, including the YMCA and the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO.
Winsom has been recognized with several awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD) in 2015, the Marilyn Lastman Award from the City of Toronto Arts Foundation in 2002, and a Canada Council Visual Arts “A” Grant in 2003. Her long career as an artist and activist has had tremendous impact on subsequent generations of artists.
Archival history
The materials now constituting the Winsom fonds were transferred directly to the Art Gallery of Ontario by the artist in two transfers between 2022 and 2023.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO Credit line: Gift of Winsom, 2023.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of the personal and professional records of the artist Winsom. Includes records documenting her work as a multi-media artist, activist, arts educator, and mentor in Canada and Belize, as well as some material from her early years in Jamaica. Includes such textual records as printed material for exhibitions and other artistic projects, grant applications and project reports, correspondence, press clippings, and project notes.
Visual material predominantly includes draft sketches and samples of Winsom's illustration projects and photographs of from her work and travels. Fonds also contains some digital records on optical disks and VHS tape, including a movie by Winsom, a digital catalogue, and footage from an exhibition opening.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Materials comprising the Winsom fonds were received from the artist in boxes, with materials generally loose and in no apparent order. Any exceptions are noted at the file level. The series and file arrangements have been imposed by archivist based on the scope and content of the records, and arranged approximately chronologically by project or activity.
Some file-level arrangement was done at the time of the first transfer of materials in 2022 to facilitate immediate research access. This temporary arrangement was based principally on location and estimated dates, and has been largely superseded by the arrangement established in 2023.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the creator or their heirs. Copyright belonging to other parties, such as that of photographs, may still rest with the creator of these items. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
The records transferred by the artist included a group of published material. These publications have been catalogued and some were ingested into the holdings of the Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives for accessibility. A complete list of the publications included in the artist's transfer of material is available, please ask the archivist for more information.
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Subject access points
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Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Description and finding aid prepared by Camille McDayter, 2023 and uploaded in 2024.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
File titles have been supplied by the archivist and are based on contents of the file unless otherwise noted.